Most supplements are a waste of money but there are some worth taking if you aren't getting enough in your diet or can't get it through dieting. What those are for you depends on your training, goals and diet.

We've been doing some training as we could during his basketball season. Now that it is over he wants us to get back to it on a more consistent basis. The coaches want him to get bigger and stronger for next season. He is just one of those kids that has a hard time putting on weight. His position coach mentioned protein but he already drinks a lot of milk and eats a lot of peanut butter. I hear that one kid on the team has put on 19 pounds since about December 1. Now, I don't know what he is doing other than working out hard but that seems like a lot of weight for a 16 year old to put on in 2 months. Anyway, he eats well, takes his multivitamin and works hard in the weightroom. I have been doing some research but just wondered what people on here thought about this subject. He would like to gain some weight too but he is just a hardgainer.

16 year olds can make big gains really quick. I made the majority of my strength and muscle gains from 16-18, then had another spurt from 18-22. Those seem to be the prime years. After that you are usually just making tiny improvements or constantly trying to regain the muscle you made in those early years.

Now, your sons coach is right, protein is important but I wouldnt consider it a supplement. You can get all you need from your diet, your son just might not be though because milk and peanut butter are not the best ways to get a lot of protein in. Lots of calories, decent amount of protein.

Before you go looking to buy supplements try tracking his diet for a day to see how many calories he eats, how many carbs, fats and protein. It is possible that he is a hardgainer but you gotta know if he is eating surplus calories to be sure.

Before you go looking to buy supplements try tracking his diet for a day to see how many calories he eats, how many carbs, fats and protein. It is possible that he is a hardgainer but you gotta know if he is eating surplus calories to be sure.

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This. There are lots of apps that make this easy. Even a couple days of vigilance may reveal a lot. Have him eat what he normally does, track it and see what he's getting.

16 year olds can make big gains really quick. I made the majority of my strength and muscle gains from 16-18, then had another spurt from 18-22. Those seem to be the prime years. After that you are usually just making tiny improvements or constantly trying to regain the muscle you made in those early years.

Now, your sons coach is right, protein is important but I wouldnt consider it a supplement. You can get all you need from your diet, your son just might not be though because milk and peanut butter are not the best ways to get a lot of protein in. Lots of calories, decent amount of protein.

Before you go looking to buy supplements try tracking his diet for a day to see how many calories he eats, how many carbs, fats and protein. It is possible that he is a hardgainer but you gotta know if he is eating surplus calories to be sure.

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Yesterday: Breakfast-English Muffin covered in peanut butter and a glass of chocolate milk and his multi-vitamin. Lunch was at school so I don't know what he had. On the way to golf practice he had a Snickers and a Powerade. Supper-Large grilled chicken sandwich and some french fries. Before going to bed he had a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and a large glass of chocolate milk.

Also, my kid has a skinny dad and a skinny mom (or maybe it was the milkman). He did not consciously increase food intake. He simply adhered consistently to a (and this may be key) a basic BODYBUILDING split.

Aside for deadlifting, which he limited to sets of five reps, reps were generally in the 8-10 range. On average, he hit each bodypart twice a week.

Started at age 17. One year later and he had dropped four belt holes while losing only about five pounds. This suggests that he packed on an appreciable amount of muscle.

Yesterday: Breakfast-English Muffin covered in peanut butter and a glass of chocolate milk and his multi-vitamin. Lunch was at school so I don't know what he had. On the way to golf practice he had a Snickers and a Powerade. Supper-Large grilled chicken sandwich and some french fries. Before going to bed he had a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and a large glass of chocolate milk.

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Depending on what his lunch was he could be eating between 2000 and 3000 calories with a decent amount of protein in there. Probably between 100 and 150 grams. Now he sounds pretty active and may still be burning as many or more calories than he is eating. Find out what he is doing for lunch and maybe see if he is consistent over a few days or a week. If you buy anything in the way of supplements I would just look at protein shakes which are more convenient food imo than supplement.

Depending on what his lunch was he could be eating between 2000 and 3000 calories with a decent amount of protein in there. Probably between 100 and 150 grams. Now he sounds pretty active and may still be burning as many or more calories than he is eating. Find out what he is doing for lunch and maybe see if he is consistent over a few days or a week. If you buy anything in the way of supplements I would just look at protein shakes which are more convenient food imo than supplement.

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Protein is more what we were thinking. But there are so many different things out there I really did not know the best to get. And others say Muscle Milk.

Protein is more what we were thinking. But there are so many different things out there I really did not know the best to get. And others say Muscle Milk.

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I have personally never used muscle milk but I haven't heard bad things about it. It will get him extra protein and calories fairly easily. I currently have cellucor whey, dymatize and optimum nutrition protein shakes. Any of those will be solid choices. If you go to the websites of these companies a lot of times you can get a sample pack so you can try out different types and flavors. Adding a shake or two may help but don't expect miracles or anything.

I have personally never used muscle milk but I haven't heard bad things about it. It will get him extra protein and calories fairly easily. I currently have cellucor whey, dymatize and optimum nutrition protein shakes. Any of those will be solid choices. If you go to the websites of these companies a lot of times you can get a sample pack so you can try out different types and flavors. Adding a shake or two may help but don't expect miracles or anything.

Since I am leaving work to pick him up from PE, after they finish their workout, to take him to golf we are trying to find some flavor of protein bar that he can eat. We bought 4 different flavors over the weekend. Today was number 3. He takes a bite to see what he thinks and then I get a bite. The first one was so chocolatey that it curled our toes. 2 of these were GNC bars and the other 2 were Clif bars. If any of you know a protein bar that tastes good I will very much appreciate it.